Depth-setting gear for submarine mines



Aug. 23, 1927. 1,639,810

- H. B. PRATT DEPTH SETTING GEAR FOR SUBMARINE MINES Filed Jan. 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J'ZMLZ QA cLOMIC 1,639,810 3 1927 H. B. PRATT DEPTH SETTING GEAR FOR SUBMARINE MINES Filed Jan. 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet-3 Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

-: nit-En S A 1,639,810 PATENT crust,

H nTLEY-B YTH PRATT, or BA now-Iu-F nnEss;nuetnnn, assrenon To VICKERS LIMITED, oFILoNnomENeLeNnu nRITIsH- COMPANY.

" DEPTH-SETTING GEAR non sUBMAnINEfMTNEs.

i Application'filed January 5, 1926, geria1 No.

I This invention relates to depth setting e r. for s bm rine m n s, t e bj c he invention being to provide improved means whereby regulation of the plummet depth se n s a m y be v ea y a iustedq q a y requ r d p h wit n the maxm m ran e it out hav ng t m e u e o y ength adjustment by theusual method of coupling together measured lengths of chain or wire, or by measuring the length of a wire.

I Aceordingto the present invention the un- Wi ding Qt a pr determ n d e g h of Plumm t i e is, .wnt cl ed byva ying the t r n posi ien Qf nt gu u memb p d to be angular-1y displaced relatively to one another by the unwinding of the plummet line. 1 "Toi'this end the plummetline is Wound upon drum or reeladapted'to rotate under the influence of the weight of the plummet acting through the plummet line and during its rotation it may bev adapted to. displace angularly,rotatable means carrying a locking device, said locking device'after apredetermined degree of angularfdisplacement of the-rotatable means being adapted to lock 7 the plummet reel so asto Stop the unwindof the plummet. line. Means areV prQ guided for controlling the starting'position -72 of-the angularly displaceable means relaiive y to he r l on whieh the plummet lin is woundor to a member associated with :the r m 0 re l, s as to .vary as desired the length of plummet line which is unwound 1 before the; ng d ce; becomesefiective as and, by looking the; plummet reelistops any iurther unwinding of the plummet line.

In order that the said invention may he clearly understood and readily carried into -,efliect, the same will now be described more fully with reference to ithe accompanying drawing, in whichz+ F gure l'is a part longitudinal section of an-anchor ory-sinker fitted with one constructional form of the improved adjustable ,depth setting gear.

Figure 2 is a part sectional elevation showing the releasing-gear for the flotation chamber or mine proper. 1 s

Figure 3 is a plan of the-release lever for the flotation chamber, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional View of part 4 l of the sinker.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section-through the sinker correspondingto Figure 1, but

smel s ar hee s a d, t e ume an: shaft n and bath ,teeth and the wheel G 128 teeth,

,relativelyito the fixed- W-heel F. ,W;l1} l carries a laterally projecting casing 1J Wit-hm whi h a 79,340, and i1} e tet i iite s a ua 7 2 keyed o a mean, and firedfwheel F being provided with a flanged part F he rmmme' ree 1 is The other toothedwheel (hereinafter termed the free wheel'G) free to rotate upon the I Wheels are engaged by-a p n on E which carried bythe plumupon which met reel, C and which ;is free to rotate ,on a

shaft projecting laterally therefrom. The fined wheel has fewerpr more teeththan the, freewheel For example, thefixed heel-wrrbere 92 eeth a the free wheel-may have- 10% teeth, the pitch circle diam t r be n ih fse'm in bo g a n. 9 and th iop ps b ng h i l t e PlWh f t tee h a t e fi W el F may be approximately 2618 of an inch, aadthe nah ine r Wh l my be pproa mately2567 of an inch. The tooth on boththe fixed and the free wheel may be cut with the same cutter so that the gaps are the same in both cases but the tooth thlolrness will be slightly different. The p n on wh ch, is carried on the laterally prqectmgshaft E carried by, the plummet reel C have fourteen teeth with a pitch of 2,618 ,of an inch. Alternatively, and in themeehan sm shown, the wheel F has 126 the pitch gap being the It will be seen, therecircle diameter and the tooth sam inb h W e .fore, that in theexample illustrated with re: erence to the drawing that during each complete revolution of the drum Cthe free Wheel G will rotate 1/6l of a revolution The free spring controlled plunger rotatably mounted.

or stop J is mounted, the fixedwheel F being provided with an opening f andtlie plum:

met reel G being provided with a series oi openings 0, c,-through which the said'stop r plunger J is adapted to pass after a pre:

of the tree wheel G relatively to the fixed Wheel F, so as to lock theitw'ohgear kwheels: to the plummet reel G and thereby stopthe unwindingof 'tlie lummet- 11m B. I

In operation, and ,when the plummet A'ls released inanylmownmanner, and after breaking a twine lashing a normally holding a free length of the: plummet line in, place it-first falls 't'reely and unwlnds the said free length of plummet line. "The v weight of the plumnietA then causes the drum C on which the plummet line B is wound to revolve and pay out the plummet line B,the druinG revolving freely upon ried by the plummet, drum G gears'as atorea said with both'gear Wheels 1* andG,-and,

owing to the factthat one is keyed to the shaft H and the other is tree to rotate thereon,.itfollows that during each complete revolution of the plummet drum, the free wheel G will rotate about 1/64th' of a revo-' lution relatively to the fixed wheel F.

During such relative, angular displacement the spring loaded stop or plunger E presses against the fixed wheel E, the lattje r being I provided as aforesaid with an opening 1f through which the plunger E is; adapted to pass. The free wheel G continues to rotate relatively'to the fixed wheel Funtil'the stop or plunger'E comes opposite the'opening f in the fixed Wheel, whereupon it is pushed theret-hrough by the plunger spring and then enters one or other 1 of the holes 0 in a the flange of the plummet reel or drum C there-. by locking thelatter; v

The pull of'the plummet A through? the wire B, then acts as a torque on the shaft H, this torque being transmitted by levers K and L and a coupling blockM, to the shearing pin N. The arrest of the plummet-causes the pin N to be sheared and the shaft H rotates and depresses the short end-of the lever L until the slip hook P is freeto fly out and to release the mine fromthe sinker.

A further slight rotation of the, shaft H acts through the lever K, the swivel block S and the pull rod R, to hold back the pawl, T

out of engagement with the usual ratchet plate T of the moorin'g'frope drum, said pawl T being mounted on a composite'lever U'to one arm of which the pull rod R is connected. I I

When the sinker has descended to the depth at which the plummet reaches the sea bottom, and there is no longer tension in the -wire B, the spring-V is free to push the pawl T into engagement with the ratchet T soas tolock theinooring rope drum in the known manner.

. It will be evident that the initial angular displacement of theplunger J onthewheel determined amountotlateral displacement G from the hole if in thewheel l will determine the-amount of angular displacement of the wheel Gr relativelyiito the wheel Bland consequently the number oi revolutions of t'he'druin Candthe-length ot wire which V will be paid out) between the release o t'the plummet and the stoppage of the rotation of the drum C by, the action of the plunger J.-

"The amountof rotation andwire paid out is adjusted by withdrawing the pinion E from engagement with the wheel F, the wheel G being then i ree to be set so that the plungerJ is at the requisite angular distance from the hole *Thisis eliected by screwing back a knurled nut 7 until it'abuts on a stop at the end of the spindle'I-P, The wheel G is then'turned by hand until the arrow Yon its web coincides with the desired indication onthe scale on the wheel F. The pinion E'is then pushed back and-held in gear by the nut W, and the depth setting is effected. 1 r f] An easily removable cover X protects the gear and preserves the watertightne'ss of the sinker.

l/Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters' Patent or" the United States is 1. A submarine mine comprising a plummet, a drum, a plummet line woundon said drum and connected to said'plummet, a pair larly displaced relatively to one another dur- 1N, of contiguous members adaptedto be anguingthe' unwinding of the plummet line and meansqbrought into operation after a pre-- determined degree of relative angular displacement of the said members for stopping the paying-out of the plummet-line 2. Asubmarine mine comprising a plummet, a' drum, a plummet line -W011I1Cl on said drum and connected to said plummet, contiguous members adapted to be angularly displaced relatively to one another'to an em tent less than a complete rotation by the unwinding of the plummet line and means for varying the initial starting'position of one of said members relatively to the other said gular displacement less than a complete revolution being adapted to lock the plummet reel so as to stop the unwinding of the plummet line.

4. A submarine mine-provided withdepth setting gear comprisinga pair of gear Wheels, a shaft upon which one of said gear wheels yis. nonProtatably mounted, the other of said gear wheels being free to rotate upon said shaft, a plummet reel, and a freely rotatable pinion carried by said plummet reel and engaging both said gear Wheels so that said setting gear comprising a pair of gear Wheels,

a shaft upon which one of said gear wheels isnon-rotatably mounted, the other of said gear wheels being free to rotate upon said shaft, a plummet reel,v and a freely rotatable pinion carried by said plummet reel and engaging both said wheels, said fixed wheel having a different number of teeth to said freely rotatable wheel, so that said free gear wheel will be angularly displaced with relation to fixed gear wheel to an extent less than a complete rotation by the unwinding of plummet line from plummet reel.

7 6. A submarine mine provided with depth setting gear comprising a non-rotatable gear Wheel, a rotatable gear wheel, said non-rotatable gear Wheel having a different number of teeth to said rotatable gear Wheel, a plummet reel, a rotatable pinion carried by said plummet reel and adapted to engage both said gear wheels, and a locking device car- 'ried on said rotatable gear wheel, so that said locking device after a predetermined degree of angular displacement less than a complete revolution between fixed and freegear wheel, is adapted to lock plummet reel so as to stop the unwinding of the plummet line therefrom.

7. A submarine mine provided with depth 40 setting gear comprising a fixed gear Wheel and a rotatable gear wheel, said fixed Wheel being formed with an opening and having a dilferent number of teeth than the rotatable gear Wheel, a plummet reel provided with a series of openings, a spring controlled plunger mounted on said rotatable gear Wheel, said stop or plunger being adapted after a predetermined amount of angular displacement of the free wheel relatively to the fixed gear wheel to pass through the opening in said fixed gear wheel and to engage one of the openings in said plummet reel.

s 8. A submarine mine comprising a plum-- met line, a drum upon which said plummet line is wound and depth setting gear comprising contiguous members adapted to be angularly-displaced by the unwinding of the plummet line, one of said members carrying a locking device which, after a predetermined degree of angular displacement less than a complete rotation locks said drum and stops the unwinding of the plummet line.

HARTLEY BLYTH PRATT. 

